Cortinarius multiformis with a distinct cortina; a Bulbopodium

	Cortinarius volvatus; in the subgenus Bulbopodium; this species has a volva.
	Cortinarius vanduzerensis: In the subgenus, Myxacium; the outer cortina is composed of gelatinous hyphae

Cortinarius: rusty-brown spores; pileus variable; gills various colored at first becoming rusty brown with spore maturation; stipe typically fibrous. Fruiting bodies typically have a cortinate partial veil when young; more often than not the cortina is covered with rusty brown spores and more often than not the remants of the cortina on the stipe are thin fibrils. Stature: Naurcorioid to Tricholomatoid in Mushroom I; Cortinarioid in Mushroom VI.

As a genus, Cortinarius has the largest number of species in temperate North America and thus is the most variable of all mushroom genera. Species size varies from 2 inches high and a cap of about 0.5 inches in C. acutus to 24 inches high and a cap of 24 inches in C. ponderatus.

The following subgenera can be recognized:

Myxacium: stipe and pileus viscid to glutinous.

Phlegmacium: pileus viscid; stipe not bulbous

Bulbopodium: pileus viscid; stipe bulbous (often not separated from Phlegmacium)

Cortinarius: pileus and stipe dry, dark violet, tomentose scaly; gills dark violet.

Dermocybe: often considered a genus; fruiting body with bright yellow, red, or greenish colors due to anthraquinone and related pigments; pileus is more often than not fibrillose. For Botany 360, this can be used as a genus.

Leprocybe: fruiting body with olive, green, brown-olive, yellow, yellow-brown, orange-brown, rarely red colors; typically not hygrophanous.

Telamonia: fruiting body typically hygrophanous; dull colored. This is the most difficult subgenus to recognize; presently no agaricologist knows the species.

Sericeocybe: fruiting body typically not hygrophaous and typically satiny.